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Petrol, diesel should be brought under GST: Cong

The Congress today attacked the Modi government over rising petrol and diesel prices, and demanded they be brought under the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The Congress also demanded reduction in excise duties on petroleum products imposed by the Centre and the VAT by various state governments.

Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that there has been an increase of 211.7 per cent in the excise duty on petrol since May 2014, when "Raja Narendra Modi" took over as prime minister.

The increase in excise duty on diesel is 443.6 per cent since May 2014 till today, is "mindboggling and unprecedented", he said.

"This has happened no where in the world, never in the history of India", Khera said.

He said to protest against the NDA government's action of "looting" the common people by raising prices of petrol and diesel, despite a fall in international crude oil prices, the Congress took out rallies across the country today.

Protest rallies were held at all state headquarters, Khera said.

"The Narendra Modi government has betrayed the trust that common people had bestowed on it. It has miserably failed to curtail the rise in fuel prices and is busy filling treasury coffers at the expense of the ordinary citizens.

"Our simple demands are that the central government should immediately reduce the Central Excise on petrol-diesel, BJP state governments should reduce VAT and other taxes, and petrol-diesel must be brought under the GST," he told reporters.

Khera said the entire agriculture sector and the transport sector depended on diesel.

He said there is a collateral factor that is responsible once the prices of diesel are high and the effect also goes on the prices of essential commodities.

"There is a GDP crisis – gas, diesel and petrol crisis of the Modi Government. This is greed," he alleged.

Khera said the Modi government had "fleeced" the common people of Rs 10 lakh crore in four years by taxing "GDP" (Gas, Diesel and Petrol).

He alleged that its "greed" was making everyone's "Budget bleed".

"The all-time high prices of petrol and diesel are bleeding the budgets of common people, farmers and the middle class," the Congress leader said.

The sky-rocketing diesel prices of Rs 68.08 per litre is impacting farmers' lifeline, besides having a stinging effect on the runaway food inflation, Khera said.

"Modi government's surreptitious move to raise prices of petrol on a daily basis has burnt holes in the pockets of common man, as today's price of petrol in Delhi is Rs 76.87 per litre and is continuously rising by Rs 2.24 per litre in the last 9 days," he said.

Post May 26, 2014, international Crude Oil Prices came down by more than 30 per cent and the Modi government has earned a windfall of Rs 9,95,850 crore by levying various central taxes on petrol and diesel, Khera claimed

"Where has the money gone? We remind the BJP that it came to power on its promise to usher ‘Achhe Din', bringing down the petro prices and controlling inflation on necessary daily use articles is a pre-requisite of that. The BJP Government has disappointed all the people on all fronts," he said.

Sunday Edition

12 Aug 2018 | Kestur Vasuki | Bengaluru

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